Dunne Days
by DunneDays
Summary: A boy sets out on a journey through the Pokemon World. On his way he'll make friends, foes... and discover the truth behind everything. Please read and review!
1. Part 1: Dunne and Dusted

**Chapter 1: Dunne and Dusted**

Today, Brown Dunne turned 13 years old.

It was the morning of the 7th of June in Pallet Town, Kanto, and it was quickly approaching noon. Pokémon were all around, and humans were running around on their own businesses.

In a small caravan near Professor Oak's Pokémon Research Laboratory, a boy within was sleeping. But not for long.

He woke up, and startling brown eyes pierced the ceiling for a moment before he took a capsule from under his beds and swallowed one of its contents. Immediately, he sat up, and looked about his small mobile home.

His mother was sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee, the smell of which drafted to Brown for him to inhale, feeling refreshed. He stood and stretched, taking in the normality of the scene before he walked to the caravan's toilet room.

A few minutes later, he opened the door again, and washed his hands and brushed his teeth in the sink in the small kitchen area. His mother did not look up even as he went past, but that was okay. He was used to it.

Finally, he sat down across from his mother, a bowl of cereal in his hands that clattered onto the table as he began to eat.

"Brown," his mother finally acknowledged, putting away the newspaper she had been reading.

"Good morning," Brown replied, and put another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Your appointment is in half an hour," his mother said, gesturing towards the clock at the side of the table.

Brown nodded, taking in the time. 11:30. "Right," he said. "Thanks."

"Come back once you have completed Oak's first test," his mother told him, and he nodded.

"Of course," he said. "I'm not going to leave without saying bye to you."

His mother nodded, but said nothing, preferring to instead invest time in her newspaper again.

While he finished eating his cereal, he looked at the cover of the paper. "TEAM SHI RISES! THE NEW TEAM ROCKET?" The picture under the headline looked to be a hastily drawn logo of an S and a 4 combined with some kind of Japanese letter. Brown frowned at it, and soon found himself on his last spoonful.

"20 minutes," his mother said, without looking up.

Brown returned to the kitchen and washed his bowl and spoon clean before returning to his bed. Under his mattress was a small compartment where he kept his clothes, and more recently his suitcase. He put on clothes that fitted his name, brown in colour, and packed away the capsule of tablets into his suitcase as well, for good measure. Finally, he felt ready, just as his mother announced that he only had 5 minutes remaining.

He moved to the front door, issued a quick farewell to his mother and left, feeling the cool breeze of the quiet wind on his face as he did so.

It was a short walk to the Laboratory, and he walked there in high spirits, so he did not notice the passing of time at all. Before he knew it, he was standing before large glass doors set into a stone building. It all looked very welcoming, but there was a sense of adventure about it.

Brown went in, and the Professor immediately noticed him.

"Ah, can I help you?" the elderly Professor asked.

"I'm Brown Dunne, sir," Brown told him. "I've come for my Pokémon."

Brown held out an appointment card, and the Professor looked at it with a nod.

"Oh yes, Brown Dunne," the Professor said, "I've been expecting you. Now then," he flourished his arms as if telling Brown to behold the room at large, "My name is Professor Samuel Oak. I research Pokémon and their relations with humans. Here, I have-"

Professor Oak was interrupted suddenly by the door reopening. Brown turned to look at the newcomer. It was a boy about his age dressed all in black; even his slicked back hair and piercing eyes were black, though he appeared to be wearing an extremely warm winter jacket.

"I've come for a Pokémon," the boy said finally, and Professor Oak nodded at him.

"Very well, do you have an appointment?" Professor Oak asked, and the boy silently raised a card. "Hm? This is..." Professor Oak seemed surprised for a moment, before finally nodding. "Very well then. As I was saying," he turned back to Brown, and the boy stood nearby, silently watching. "I research Pokémon and their relations with humans. Here, I have three Pokémon. I would like you - both of you - to choose one."

Brown and the boy moved forwards to read the notes by each of the Poké Balls.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon."

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. Obviously prefers hot places. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail."

"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth."

Both of the boys reached for their choices, leaving Squirtle behind.

"Excellent!" Professor Oak said, "Now, why don't you two have a battle? Come on now! Don't be shy!"

Brown and the dark haired boy locked eyes and nodded in silent agreement before releasing their Pokémon.

"Go! Bulbasaur!" Brown told his Pokémon.

With a cry of "Bulbasaur!" a green quadruped Pokémon emerged from Brown's Poké Ball.

"Charmander," Blake intoned, and a red lizard-like Pokémon with a flaming tail was released from Blake's Poké Ball.

"This should be interesting..." Professor Oak smiled.

"Charmander, Scratch," Blake commanded almost immediately.

Charmander dashed forwards and raked Bulbasaur with its sharp claws, causing the small Grass-type to yelp in pain.

"Bulbasaur! Tackle!" Brown called frantically, and Bulbasaur launched itself onto its opponent.

"Get back!" Blake commanded, and his slightly injured Pokémon retreated from the foe, stopping a few metres away.

"Tackle again!" Brown grinned.

Bulbasaur ran toward the Charmander, lowering its head to maximise the damage output.

"Scratch," Blake said calmly.

Charmander waited until Bulbasaur was close enough, before slashing its paw through the air, claws extended. But the Flame Pokémon had left it too late, and the Seed Pokémon crashed into the red one, sending it skidding along the smooth floor.

"Scratch," Blake said, frowning.

"Tackle once more!" Brown yelled happily.

The two Pokémon collided, both Scratch and Tackle making contact, and the two Pokémon were pushed backwards, each struggling to stay upright. Bulbasaur had it easier with 4 legs instead of Charmander's 2 legs to support it and so…

"Der…" Charmander sighed, falling over.

"Well done, Brown, you've just won your first battle!" Oak said.

"Yeah! We did it, Bulbasaur," Brown yelled.

Professor Oak smiled at the two boys, and said, "Since this was your first battle, I will pay for you, Blake, but it won't always be this way."

Blake indicated that he understood, and Professor Oak began to count out some money from a small box on his desk.

Brown petted Bulbasaur happily, and heard Blake speak to Professor Oak, though he was situated too far away to hear their conversation. However, it seemed that it was one-way, as Blake soon raised his voice.

"Ahem," Blake cleared his throat, and Brown began to hear him more clearly. "I said, "goodbye Professor"."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Oak quickly apologised. His voice was naturally louder than Blake's, so he did not need to speak up in order for Brown to hear. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes," Blake said with a nod. "I hear your grandson Blue will be leaving Viridian City in order to train himself and his Pokémon and I'd like to challenge him before he leaves."

"Training? Is that the reason he's giving?" The old man repeated in a mutter before his head turned to face Blake again. "Okay," he nodded. "Good luck!"

Blake tilted his head in gratitude and left.

Brown returned Bulbasaur to its Poké Ball, while accepting the money Professor Oak handed him.

"Now then, Brown," Professor Oak told him. "Taking care of a Pokémon is a very large responsibility, and it's just as much of a responsibility to take ownership of a Pokédex, if not more! To prove that you are truly ready to use a Pokédex, I must give you a task to complete."

"What is it?"

"There is a package waiting for me in Viridian City, and I am far too busy to travel all the way across Route 1 and back. And Blake has Blue to challenge, so you are really my only hope."

"Okay," Brown grinned. "Looks like I'm going to Viridian City!"


	2. Part 2: Banking (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

**Warning:** This chapter does not focus on Brown. Instead, it introduces a new character. Just thought I'd put that out there.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 3: Banking**

…

* * * 09:04 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"… and if you cannot show full maturity then the business will fall into the hands of the Handas… can you imagine that? "The Handa Holders"… that's what it'll be called!"

"Well, it's much friendlier sounding than "The Share Holders"…"

The man sighed and turned about his house in despair. "Son, you must take things much more seriously! If you are ever to succeed in the realm of finances, you-"

"I told you already!" the boy snapped. "I don't want to be a banker! That's the most boring job ever!"

"Jordan…" his father threatened. "The future of the business is at stake here!"

"I don't care about the business!" Jordan yelled. "Let Ruri take care of it! I wanna be a Pokémon Trainer!"

"Jordan, you know Ruri is just a child," his father scolded. "We need someone ready to take over the business now… What with my weak heart. And that's another reason why you will not become a Trainer; I need you nearby in case I have another heart attack."

"Dad, Ruri is 9… She's only 1 year younger than me! Plus you've got mum!"

"Ah… Southern is busy with her job…"

"Why does she even have a job? You're rich enough!" Jordan said, voice rising to shouting level again. "I'm leaving and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Jordan had turned around and was almost at the door when his father found a retort.

"You're only 10 years old!"

The boy stopped and unhooked his backpack from his shoulders, rooting about inside. He eventually withdrew a small magazine with a picture of a teenage boy on it.

"Red! He was only 10 when he became a Pokémon Trainer!" Jordan said, getting out another with a girl on it. "Leaf! She was 10 as well! Look at them! They're famous Pokémon Trainers!"

"This isn't about them, it's about you-"

"No… It's about you. It's always about you. You and your heart." Jordan said, dropping the books back into his bag and speaking quickly, afraid to pause. "Well, you know what? I'm sick of it. The Share Holders were only partially successful because of how well you ran it. I'm a much better businessman than you might think. I've studied the profits… And you know what? After that accident the profits went sky high. Sympathy. That's all your business runs on."

"You are no good at business…" Jordan turned away again, picked his bag up and opened the door. "… SYMPATHY!" he cried out as he slammed the door shut behind him.

"…" For the first time in his life, Heaton Share was rendered mute.

…

**Author's Note: **I love writing family arguments. Heaton and Jordan are no exception. Even if I am a terrible writer (I've seen worse, though…), I really like doing it. The tension and the drama… then, finally, the reunion (if there is one), it's just a combination I really like.

This scene is important to Dunne Days. Heck, all scenes are important. In England, there's a shop called Tesco. The motto of that shop is "Every little helps", and that is a rule I go by.


	3. Part 3: T100 (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 4: T-100**

…

* * * 09:44 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Hm…" Brown muttered. He looked down at Bulbasaur, who looked back up at him.

They were standing halfway along Route 1. There had been Trainers, but none of them challenged him because they were all worn out from a previous opponent… Although he had managed to score a free Potion after listening to a man ramble on about some kind of shop.

"So, Bulbasaur…" Brown started again. He had been trying, rather unsuccessfully; to start a conversation with his Seed Pokémon, but Brown couldn't understand Bulbasaur's language.

"Aur…" Bulbasaur sighed, giving up.

"Yeah…" Brown muttered, following Bulbasaur's example and dropping to sit on the floor.

They sat there for some time, watching the nearby Trainers nurse their Pokémon. The silence was broken eventually by a scream.

"!" a blond haired boy came crashing into the clearing, scaring away some of the Pokémon Trainers' Pokémon, and causing their Trainers to chase after them.

The boy was being chased by an angry group of Rattata, and the remaining Trainers quickly scattered as their Pokémon were too injured to fight.

"HELP!" the boy yelled, and Brown sprang to his feet.

"Bulbasaur, scare the Rattata away!"

Bulbasaur jumped in front of the group of Rattata, causing them all to skid to a halt and snarl at him.

"!" Bulbasaur growled, causing some of the mice to flinch. "BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Bulbasaur repeated, louder this time, and the Rattata fled.

"Way to go, Bulbasaur!" Brown said before approaching the redhead who had collapsed from exhaustion. "You alright… erm…?"

The boy opened his eyes, "Are they gone?"

"Yup!" Brown grinned.

"Phew…" the boy sighed, raising his legs and making an agile leap from lying down to standing upright. "Name's Jordan."

"Uh, I'm Brown."

"Heh," Jordan nodded. "Suits your clothes."

"Yeah…" Brown laughed.

Jordan bent down and eyed Bulbasaur. "This guy yours?"

"Yeah, that's my Bulbasaur…" Brown said.

"Hm, I want one," Jordan nodded, standing back up but eyes still locked on the plant creature.

"A Bulbasaur?" Brown asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Jordan nodded, before correcting himself. "Well, any Pokémon really… I'm not picky."

"Oh…" Brown muttered. "So you were going to Pallet Town to meet Professor Oak and get a Pokémon?"

"Exactly!" Jordan said. "Only… I stumbled into this group of Rattata and tried to catch one…"

"Oh, so that's why they were chasing you."

Jordan's head snapped up to look at Brown. "So, you given your Bulbasaur a nickname?"

"Uh…" Brown hesitated.

"Are you gonna?"

"Probably…" Brown muttered, thinking for a while. "How about Kern? It was my granddad's name…"

"Definitely not," Jordan shook his head. "Try again."

"Green Day?" Brown suggested.

"No!" Jordan laughed. "How about something catchy… something that's a pun on something…"

"Erm… Colonel Kernel?" Brown guessed again.

"Good but too long," Jordan scratched his head then turned to Bulbasaur. "Henceforth you shall be known as the Germinator!"

"… I don't get it…" Brown muttered.

"Germi… Nator? GERMINATOR!" the newly named Pokémon yelled, trying out its name before nodding happily.

"See, Bulbasaur likes it," Jordan grinned.

"I still think "Kern" is better…" Brown muttered.

"Well, tough, it's your Pokémon's thoughts that matter, not yours!" a new voice said.

Brown, Jordan and the Germinator turned to face the newcomer. It was a Fisherman with an orange lifejacket and 6 Poke Balls around his waist while a strange looking fishing rod was attached to his back.

"Hi, I'm Karp," the man introduced.

"You're the guy who beat the entire Indigo League using only Magikarp!" Jordan said, raising an accusing finger.

"That's me," Karp nodded. "And I like your choice of names for Bulbasaur. But I'd have to say Germinator is clearly the best."

Bulbasaur grinned at this compliment, "Germ!"

"So, where you guys headed?" Karp asked.

"My name's Jordan and I'm going to Pallet Town to get a Pokémon," Jordan said.

"I'm going to Viridian City to get something for Professor Oak," Brown said. "Oh, my name's Brown, by the way."

"Ah," Karp said. "Well, I'm going to Pallet Town as well!"

"Really?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, me and my Magikarp want to get to Cinnabar Island," Karp explained. "And I had to make a quick stop at the bank in Viridian City."

"The Share Holders?" Jordan asked sadly.

"Yeah," Karp nodded, before noticing Jordan's sad look. "Say, Jordan… Why don't I go with you to see Professor Oak?"

"You'd do that for me?" Jordan asked, excited.

"Sure!"

"Okay…" Brown muttered. "Well I'll see you guys later. I gotta get going for Professor Oak's package! Good luck in getting a Pokémon, Jordan!"

"My dad always said that real men make their own luck."

"Hey, Brown," Karp said. "You got a Pokégear?"

"Yeah," Brown replied, showing it off. "You guys wanna register me?"

The three held their Pokégears together as they registered.

"Look at me…" Jordan muttered. "Getting a Champion on my Pokégear..."

Karp laughed. The registration soon completed, and the three took back their Pokégears.

* * * 09:58 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Hey!"

Brown span to the source of the voice, "Huh?"

A young boy with a yellow top, blue cap twisted to the side and similarly coloured shorts that didn't even reach his knees was standing on a small boulder to raise himself to Brown's eye level, a Poke Ball in his hand.

"You were just talking with Karp, weren't you?"

It was a statement more than a question and Brown nodded.

"Wow," the boy raised his eyebrows and jumped off the rock. "My name's Yuuki. I'm a Pokémon Trainer."

The boy raised his free hand to shake Brown's. "I'm Brown; this is my Bulbasaur… the Germinator apparently…"

"Germinator?" Yuuki asked; a blank look on his face before he understood the joke and fell about laughing.

Brown scratched his head, still not understanding the humour behind Bulbasaur's name, and watched as Yuuki pulled himself together and stopped laughing.

"Heh, anyway…" Yuuki said, standing up. "I'd like to challenge you to a battle."

"Oh, what Pokémon do you have?" Brown asked.

"A Rattata," the Youngster shrugged. "My prized partner, Carnig."

Brown looked down at Bulbasaur, who was already going into a battle stance. "Okay, let's go."

"Good," Yuuki nodded, spinning his Poke Ball onto the floor and releasing the Mouse Pokémon. "Go, Carnig!"

"Carrrrrrrrr rat!"

"Carnig, use Quick Attack!"

The Rattata lunged forwards, straight at Bulbasaur, who managed to leap and dodge most of the damage, but still got a bruise on its right side.

"That's a fast Pokémon…" Brown noted. "Okay, Germinator, you use Tackle!"

"Tor! Germinate!" Bulbasaur cried out as it leapt forward and tripped over a small rock, making it land painfully on its back.

"Tackle!" Yuuki yelled, taking Bulbasaur's fall as an opening.

The mouse closed in on Bulbasaur, who struggled to get to its feet.

"Germinator… do… something!" Brown said, realising his Bulbasaur wouldn't be able to get up in time.

The green Seed Pokémon thrashed around, trying to pick itself back up, and Brown's desperate eyes were swayed from his Pokémon's plight by a red flash at his hip and a beep that accompanied it.

"Bulbasaur has learnt the move Leech Seed," the robotic voice of the Pokédex rang out.

"Leech Seed?" Brown repeated wonderingly.

"Germ…" Germinator's bulb spat out some small pips, that hit Carnig and sprouted as the bruises on the Bulbasaur's body faded.

"Leech Seed is a move that steals health from the enemy to cure the Pokémon using it!" Yuuki explained, and Brown cheered.

Bulbasaur stood back up, ready to get back into the battle.

"Okay, Germinator, use Tackle!"

"You Tackle too, Carnig!" Yuuki shouted, and the two Pokémon charged at one another.

"Car…" the strong attack was too much for the little Rattata, who ended up being thrown back into a nearby tree.

"Woah!" Yuuki exclaimed, before running over to his Rattata. "You okay, buddy?"

"Carnig…" the Pokémon sighed sadly as it opened its eyes.

"You did good," the Youngster smiled, and the Mouse Pokémon smiled back before the boy put the Pokémon back in its Ball.

"Is he okay?" Brown asked after congratulating his Bulbasaur.

"Yeah, he's fine," Yuuki grinned. "Germinator is really strong; no wonder you were talking to a Pokémon Master."

"Pokémon Master?" repeated Brown. "I thought he was just a Champion."

"Nah, he's famous for having beat loads of Leagues," the Youngster nodded. "That makes him a Master."

"Don't you have to have a lot of Pokémon to become a Master as well though?"

Yuuki laughed, "Just because he's famous for using Magikarp doesn't mean he hasn't got other Pokémon. Professor Oak confirmed that Karp managed to capture over 100 Pokémon - but he gives them out to Trainers who show promise."

"Wow," Brown gasped, eyes wide.

"I think you're deserving of one of his Pokémon… to be perfectly honest."

Brown blushed at this praise, before a ringing sound was heard.

"Oh!" Yuuki exclaimed. "That's my alarm clock! I set it to go off when it was time to go home for lunch."

"Where do you live?"

The younger boy pointed north, "Viridian City… uh, I gotta go…"

"I'm headed there too…" Brown pointed out. "We could go together?"

Yuuki looked down at his only Poke Ball containing his only Pokémon, "Well… I could do with the protection… especially these days with Team Palm around…" he looked up at Brown, beaming. "Sure, let's go."

…

**Author's Note: **I have always been bad at Pokemon nicknames, so coming up with Bulbasaur's was a real pain. I eventually decided on "Germinator", as a pun on the word "Germinate", and the film, "Terminator".

Yuuki and Jordan are very interesting characters, or at least, they will be, in terms of character developments. I'm not going into any more details here though, because when I get started on spoilers I just can't stop!

The next chapter, by the way, is about Blake. I haven't actually written that bit, I'll be honest, because the original plan was that I would put the Blake bits in a separate story. That story is still in the making as well, it focuses on Blake's past. If the Blake chapter is not finished by 1st April 2012, I will ignore it and put it in the Blake's past story instead.


	4. Part 4: Earth (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

**Warning:** This chapter does not focus on Brown. Instead, it focuses on Blake. Just thought I'd put that out there.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 5: Earth**

…

* * * 09:32 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Ah! Mister Oak, sir!"

The Gym Leader of Viridian City turned to his receptionist.

"Yes, Clyde?" he asked, causing the man to cough politely as he prepared himself to speak.

"Well, a Trainer just showed up fairly recently, and I tried telling him that you were going away but he's really quite persistent," Clyde said, gesturing to a black haired boy standing nearby, arms crossed and a shadow cast over his face.

Blue Oak grimaced. He didn't have time for this, he was needed elsewhere.

"Thank you Clyde, I'll handle this," he said, placing his bag on the desk and facing the Trainer. "Would you get my Charizard ready?"

"Of course, sir," Clyde nodded, and stepped outside, taking the bag with him.

"Well then," Blue looked at the younger boy. "I'm afraid I won't be able to accept your challenge, but-"

"It won't take long," the boy interrupted in a short tone.

"Hah… is that so?" Blue asked. "You do know this is supposed to be the strongest Gym?"

"I do," the boy nodded. "However, because of this city's close proximity to Pallet Town, the home of the Pokemon Professor who offers starting Pokemon to new Trainers, you must also go easy on the beginning Trainers."

"Is that what you are, then?"

"I am a new Trainer," the boy nodded. "My name is Blake and I would like to challenge you to a battle."

Blue laughed. "Fine, fine… I guess you can't wait until my replacement gets here. And like you say, it won't take long."

The boys headed into the battleground, where each stood on opposing sides.

"Well then, one Pokemon each. I'll select one at random, but I'll go easy, don't worry," Blue smiled. "All of my Pokemon are specially trained."

Blake nodded abruptly and selected a Poke Ball from his black backpack, tossing it onto the battlefield saying simply, "Poliwag."

Blue tapped a button in his Pokedex and he furrowed his brow at the screen. "I see, it seems I must choose… Sandslash!"

The Tadpole Pokemon and the Mouse Pokemon appeared on their respective sides of the field, staring at each other.

"Go easy on em, Sandslash," Blue nodded. "Blake, you take the first move."

"Surf," Blake said shortly, and his Pokemon leapt into the air.

A huge wave formed out of the ground, following Poliwag up and crashing down onto Sandslash.

"Earthquake!" Blue yelled, and Sandslash slammed against the ground.

The ground shook ferociously, and the wave collapsed harmlessly onto the Gym floor, though the same could not be said for Poliwag, who tumbled dangerously a few metres before Blake called out his next command.

"Waterfall."

Poliwag quickly righted itself in mid air, clambering up the cascading water like a flight of stairs and slamming into its opponent heavily.

"Mud-Slap it away!" Blue called out.

Sandslash shoved a clawed paw into the ground, taking a heap of mud and lobbing it at Poliwag, who had just rebounded off Sandslash's body to return to its side of the field.

The lump of mud smacked against the Tadpole Pokemon's body, causing it to yelp out in pain.

"Water Gun!"

Though injured, Poliwag shot a blast of water from its mouth. The water mixed with the mud, creating a sludgy mess that landed on the Mouse Pokemon's face, seeping into its eyes and stinging them.

"Sandslash, you okay?" Blue asked, and Sandslash grimaced, but nodded. "Okay, since you've restricted my Pokemon's vision, I think I'll return the favour! Sand-Attack!"

A barrage of sand particles flew from the ground around Poliwag, blocking its vision. The Poliwag winced and closed its eyes, but the sand was already in, and it screeched with pain.

"Water Gun!" Blake commanded.

"Mud Shot!" Blue countered.

The Pokemon spewed forth their elements and they clashed into each other, the endless rays going on forever, splashing the Gym with muddy water all over. However, one of the sides slipped, and the element crashed to the ground.

As Sandslash was hit by the full force of the Water Gun, it collapsed, keeling over.

"What? How is that possible?" Blue asked, an incredulous look on his face as he recalled his Pokemon.

"My Poliwag mixes the moves Water Gun and Scald into one. Your Sandslash was burned pretty badly," Blake explained, returning his Poliwag to his Poke Ball as well.

Blue smiled. "Well, I didn't expect for you to actually knock my Pokemon out. I was going to concede defeat if things were going badly. But here, you deserve this," he held up a plant shaped Badge, which he tossed to Blake. "This is the Earth Badge. You'll get plenty of respect just from that Badge, but you'll still need to get the others to challenge the League."

"Thanks," Blake nodded, turning away.

Blue looked at the boy's retreating back, then shook his head and turned to the Poke Ball he held in his arm. "Hey Sandslash, we still need to tell people about us leaving. Wanna help me put up notices around the city?"

…

**Author's Note:**So there you have a chapter of Blake's side of the story. He's managed to beat the mighty Blue! I'm not sure I managed to capture Blue's personality that well. I think I made him too happy… I think the trouble is finding the right Blue to use. Blue from the manga is a lot different from the Blue in the games…

I normally don't enjoy writing fights, but I did like this one. I have no idea why, but anyway…

I know "Blake" isn't the best name to use for one of your OCs (well, that's what I think, anyway), but at the end of the day, what is? I personally wouldn't like it if a character had the same name as me, because then if I didn't like the character… well… so obscure names are probably better. But I find that names like "Sunjab", "Tvuna", or "Yuuki" can put people off since they can be hard to pronounce or whatever.

But before I start to ramble on about the dynamics of names, let's focus our attention back to this chapter.

I was going to make it longer, originally, by having another character appear to talk to Blue. But I'll put that in at a later point.

One thing I like though; is that when I got my first Pokemon game (Diamond), whenever I saw the Gym Guide, I called him "Clyde", because it rhymed with "Guide". Then, when Black/White were released, the Gym Guides in those actually _were_ called Clyde! Yep…

Next chapter is ready to go. I'll release it… whenever I feel like it!


	5. Part 5: Viridian (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 6: Viridian**

…

* * * 10:22 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Well, this is my house," Yuuki said, coming to a stop before the 24th house on Aqua Drive.

A sign above the door read "Kenji Tsubasa", causing Brown to look at Yuuki cynically.

"Kenji?" Brown asked, causing Yuuki to laugh.

"My dad's name," Yuuki said. "The houses on this street are all jumbled up, so we have to rely on putting our names outside."

Brown chuckled nervously, and started up the thin cobbled path with the Youngster.

The door swung inwards before they could set their feet on the rather long doorstep, a plump man with a black beard and thinning hair standing in a bomber jacket and baggy trousers.

"Hey, dad!" Yuuki greeted with a grin on his face.

"Yuuki, you're late…" the man, Kenji Tsubasa apparently, chastised, but the grin on his face revealed that he wasn't really angry.

Brown shuffled his feet uncertainly, causing Kenji to look at him for the first time. "You brought another stray home?" he asked Yuuki.

The Youngster laughed, replying, "Nah, this is my new friend, Brown. We just battled on Route 1 and he won!"

Kenji held out a hand for Brown, who accepted it gingerly. "Any friend of my son's is a good person for sure!" he chuckled, before ending the handshake. "Good shake, fine man." he noted, nodding.

"Thanks," Brown said uncertainly.

The man jabbed a thick finger at himself, "Kenji Tsubasa, worker at Viridian City Poké Mart."

"Germinator!" Bulbasaur chimed happily, glad to meet a new person.

"Hullo!" Kenji said gruffly, looking down at Brown's Bulbasaur. "Who's this little fellow then?"

"Um… my Bulbasaur," Brown replied.

"Hey, Brown," Yuuki said suddenly, another laugh escaping his lips. "Tell dad Bulbasaur's nickname!"

Kenji looked down at the two boys and the Pokémon as Brown spoke, "Uh… Germinator."

"Germinator?" the man's face was blank for a moment then he hurried back inside without a backwards glance, slamming the door in his son's face. He returned later with what Brown recognised as a DVD, titled "Terminator".

Kenji's face was furious. "How dare you spread bad influences into my child! "Germinator" is far too close a name to "Terminator", an 18 rated film! Yuuki is only 9, not old enough to be watching videos like this! I won't have you hanging around my son anymore." the man ranted and Brown stared, mouth agape, not knowing what he had done wrong.

"Dad! You got me Call of Duty and didn't complain! Why is this different?"

Kenji dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "That's just a video game." without saying another word, his strong arms came down to pick Yuuki up and drag him inside the house.

"Dad!" Yuuki protested, struggling to get down.

The door slammed shut on Brown once more, and he slowly backed away.

"Get out of here, you vagabond!" Kenji yelled through the letterbox, and Brown fled.

* * * 10:30 - 7 June 2004 * * *

Viridian City was a charming little city with many streets crisscrossing in the general direction of the central plaza, where Brown was headed. He had seen signs advertising various places, with only one of the names settling into his head.

Viridian City Gym was in the North part of the city's central plaza, and claimed to be the "toughest Gym in Kanto". Indeed, the Gym Leader had previously been the Indigo League Champion, and so Trainers who beat it were guaranteed a shot at the League, even if they had not collected any other Badges.

The sole problem was the absence of the Gym Leader.

Due to complaints, the Leader had been forced to put signs up informing people that the Gym was closed whenever he went out. To do this he sent out various Pokémon; be they anything from a Spearow to a Rhyperior, from a Magikarp to a Tangrowth.

Brown first noticed these Pokémon as he passed a small blue roofed building just before the entrance to the large square where the Gym was located. He could see a Rhyhorn suddenly pop out of the ground and drill a small piece of paper above the sign informing Brown he was travelling along Viridian Lane.

Brown strode towards the sign, curious to see what the Rhyhorn was doing. It turned and gave Bulbasaur a friendly nod with its head and jumped back into the hole it had made.

""Gym closed for Leader's Training schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience. Temporary Gym Leader will arrive within one week."" Brown read.

The note looked like it had been written in a rush, but the fancy writing was still there. An image of the Gym Badge - the Earth Badge - had been placed on each corner, and the paper was the same colour as the city's name.

"Looks like we're not going to this Gym just yet, Germinator," he noted to Bulbasaur.

He then turned and walked up a side road, towards a building with a blue roof.

* * * 11:09 - 7 June 2004 * * *

Blue hummed to himself as his Rhyhorn returned from the job he had sent it on.

"And that's the last one," he told his Charizard as he returned the Rhyhorn to its Poke Ball.

A girl caught his attention, and he sighed.

"Hello, Ruri…" he muttered.

"BLUE! YOU IDIOT! YOUR DUMB POKEMON STUCK ONE OF YOUR NOTICES ON MY WINDOW!" the raven haired girl yelled, said notice in her hand as she approached.

"Ruri, I'm sorry that my Pokémon attached a notice to your house, but I must let the Trainers know of my absence somehow!" he paused before adding. "And, as you're aware, your house is a major hotspot for older Trainers…"

"There aren't any Trainers in the house though are there!" Ruri retorted.

"No, but one does have a home there, if I'm not mistaken," Blue held back a smile… Ruri didn't like those.

"Dad's too ill to be a Trainer!"

"No, not him."

"Mum's busy!"

"I mean your brother. He came to me seeking approval to set out. He said he had had enough of your father controlling him."

Ruri turned around, a mean look on her face, "In that case! I'm going to go become a Trainer too!"

She walked away, pushing a brown haired boy who was walking up the alleyway with his Bulbasaur.

Blue's Charizard snorted, a flame escaping its snout, and Blue patted it.

"There, there… She'll never beat us," the Leader said, a smirk on his face.

"Excuse me, is this the Poké Mart?"

Blue turned to the questioning boy, the brown haired boy with the Bulbasaur.

"Yeah, that's right," Blue nodded.

"Finally! I knew it had a blue roof but…" the young Trainer shook his head.

"Heh, you probably found the Police Station… or the Trainer House… the Gym?"

"I was going to the Gym but I found a notice… said it was shut."

"Yep, the Leader's got to train too, right?"

The boy nodded. "I suppose…"

"You from around here?" Blue asked, eying the young Trainer.

"Pallet Town," the boy replied simply. "I started my adventure today…"

"You wouldn't happen to know a boy called Blake, would you?"

"Yeah, I know him…" the boy frowned. "Me and my Germinator managed to beat him… he said he wanted to become a coordinator."

"Germinator?" Blue repeated blankly.

"My Bulbasaur."

"Ah," Blue nodded. "What's your name?"

"Brown," the boy replied, suddenly noticing the Charizard. "Whoa!"

"Ha, yeah… he has that effect on people," Blue scratched the Charizard under the chin. "You want my advice, Brown? Evolution. It makes all of your Pokémon stronger… except for the ones that don't evolve, of course."

"Evolution?" Brown repeated.

"Yeah, your Germinator there, it can become a Venusaur in time. Really powerful…"

The Charizard snorted again.

"Ha, well, there's some good Pokémon out there, you just got to evolve 'em."

* * * 11:14 - 7 June 2004 * * *

A man in green confronted Brown as he entered the Poké Mart.

"Hello, you must be Brown, I've been expecting you!"

"Uh, hey," Brown replied.

The man held out a large package wrapped in brown paper. "This is for Professor Oak."

"I'll make sure it gets to him," Brown promised, taking the Parcel.

…

**Author's Note:** And there you have the introduction of Ruri. She's also a really fun character to write for. Her personality is really based on the modern definition of "tsundere", and you'll see that much later.

As for Kenji's reaction… well that's a story for another time. And no, Brown didn't recognise Blue. He didn't really study up on the League and stuff… unlike some other characters…


	6. Part 6: Journey (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 7: Journey**

…

* * * 11:54 - 7 June 2004 * * *

The Parcel turned out to be some Poké Balls, five of which Professor Oak gave to Brown.

"Now Brown," he said, after thanking the boy for the Parcel. "I need to ask another favour of you."

Brown looked up at the Professor with a quizzical smile, "How can I help?"

The old Professor tapped Brown's Pokédex gently, "I would like you to fill this Pokédex for me. I need to know how closely a boy can bond with Pokémon. Know this though, should you accept my challenge to complete this Pokédex, your journey may never end."

"I'll do it!" Brown replied without hesitation. "I'll record every single Pokémon there is!"

The Professor seemed taken aback with gratitude, as he turned around, rubbing something against his eyes.

* * * 11:59 - 7 June 2004 * * *

Outside the Laboratory, Brown picked up a call on his Pokégear.

"Hey, Brown, can you hear me?" the voice called out of the small device.

Brown checked the display and answered, "Hey Jordan."

"Oh, Brown!" the blond replied on the other end of the line. "Where are you now?"

"I'm in Pallet Town…" Brown hesitated. "And you?"

"Oh wow!" Jordan replied happily. "I'm just at the entrance to Route 1… Would you mind meeting me there please?"

"Sure, no problem," the brown haired one replied as he passed the narrow path through the buildings that led to the Route 1 entrance. "I just need to make a little stop first."

There was a pause, then a nervous laugh as Jordan muttered something to someone who was with him (Brown caught the word "Karp") then he replied, "Sure thing, Brown! See ya!"

Brown ended the call, braced himself, then hammered on the door in front of him.

* * * 12:19 - 7 June 2004 * * *

Brown Dunne sat in his home, eating out of a jar of some substance his mother had left in the fridge, whilst he waited for her to return. The note she had left on the small metallic table said she had gone on her weekly binge fest, so he hoped she would come home sober for once. Not likely though really. She seemed devastated by the news of Teams Palm and Shi on the television lately, and had been spending even more time and money at Pallet Pub.

The money, Brown lamented, was from his father. His father who had left to become a Pokémon Trainer oh so long ago and had never returned. Brown's mother never liked to talk to Brown about the man much… though Divina didn't care to speak to her son at all to be perfectly honest. Sometimes however, Divina's drunken nights on the town could provide a tiny little insight into his father's life.

When intoxicated on her nights out, she frequently let slip mentions of his father. The words were disjointed however, and all Brown could discern was that his father kept in contact regularly even though she didn't want him to… and that deep down, Divina really did love him and would do anything to find him.

Now, Brown realised that if his father was indeed alive, he may meet him on his journeys. Brown grew excited at the thought, anxious to find out what his father would think of him.

Perhaps he would ask his mother about it when she returned, but then, perhaps not. Knowing full well the feeling of being in the powerful woman's presence, he would feel too scared to ask. He could not, knowing full well of how aggressive his mother could be, especially when drunk, hope to escape with all his limbs intact from her response to such a question. No, Brown would find out himself.

As he reached the decision, the door flew open and his mother marched in.

That was his mother. She never walked, ran, skipped, jogged, hopped… Brown had only ever seen her march. She marched like she was in the army, holding her rod shaped handbag like a soldier would carry their rifle, her shoulders perfectly in line with her heels. She turned to face her son.

"So, the famous Pokémon Trainer returns from his journey."

Confused, Brown paused. He couldn't smell the alcohol in her breath as per normal, but the telltale sense of irony lurked in her words, and the signature sneer showed prominently on her face.

"Hi mum-" He began.

"What? No drink? I come home after a hard day of work and you haven't got me a drink ready?" she asked scornfully, giving him a hard clout around the head as she sat down on the sofa.

Brown got up, hurriedly, dashing to the kitchen area and returning swiftly with a pint of Guinness in hand.

She took it from him without a word then took a delicate sip before speaking, not looking at him. "So, you're going?"

"Yeah…" Brown replied cautiously. "Uh… I just came to say goodbye."

"Okay, goodbye," Divina said shortly. "Now good riddance, go on. Be off with you. If you're going to take after your father then I don't want to see you ever again."

Brown shrugged, it was the best send off he could have expected knowing his mum as well as he did. He walked back over to the door, Germinator close behind.

"Oh, and Brown?" Divina said as his hand held the door handle.

"Yes mum?" Brown replied, turning his head.

"Your Pokémon is ugly."

Germinator shrank down, pushing Brown forwards, out of the caravan.

* * * 12:36 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Wow that was mean…"

"Yeah… poor Germinator…" Brown muttered, watching his crestfallen Pokémon.

Germinator trod on ahead, not even bothering with the wild Pokémon.

Brown turned to Jordan. "So how did your visit to Professor Oak go?"

Jordan grinned, taking out his Poke Ball. "I'd like to introduce you… to Spurt!"

A Squirtle appeared in a flash of red light, but Brown looked sceptical. ""Spurt?""

"What? Not all nicknames can be works of art, you know?"

Brown shrugged. "Anyway, Jordan, where are you from?"

Jordan seemed to go distant, speaking evenly, "Viridian City."

"Really? Whereabouts?" Brown asked.

"Shamrock Green Road."

The monotonous voice again. Brown decided to try to pry deeper. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, one, she's called Ruri."

""Ruri", huh," Brown repeated. "What about your parents?"

"… Heaton and Southern…" Jordan glanced upwards to see if the names had sparked any recognition in Brown. They had not.

"What do they do?"

"… Heaton works in a bank… Southern's an actress."

"Must be pretty good money?"

"Uh, yeah… what does your mum do?"

Brown was caught off guard by Jordan's subject changing. He hesitated for a moment, trying to think of how to reply. "She… doesn't work… she got most of her money from being an… enterpernur-"

"Entrepreneur?

"Yeah, that's when she met dad…" Brown paused again. "They weren't married when they had me… so I guess I'm a bastard…"

Jordan stifled a laugh at this.

"What's so funny?" Brown asked.

"I'm a bastard too." Jordan explained. "Just found it coincidental…"

"Is Ruri a bastard?"

"In one of the senses, yes." Jordan laughed. "But nah, they were married by then."

A lengthy pause ensued, an uncomfortable silence broken only by their feet crunching through the grass and the wild Pokémon around.

…

**Author's Note:** And that is the trip back home as featured in some of the games. Divina really is mean. It can be hard to get her personality as a heartless woman really right.

Anyway, this chapter is kind-of-fillerish, but it really is important to show the background of Brown, and his relationship with his mother. It also shows him getting the Pokegear and meeting with Jordan. That's all for now, I think. See you next chapter.

Also, I do not see "bastard" as a rude word at all if it is used in the context of "born out of wedlock". If you disagree then feel free to tell me and I'll change it albeit somewhat begrudgingly.


	7. Part 7: Cityscape (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 8: Cityscape**

…

* * * 13:10 - 7 June 2004 * * *

'KNOCK KNOCK'

"Did I mention how much I hate you for this by the way?"

Brown shrugged, "Hey, your toothbrush is important!"

Jordan grimaced, "Yeah… I can't believe I forgot it!"

"You always forget something when packing."

'KNOCK KNOCK' Jordan rapped on the door again.

"I don't think anyone's in."

"Good. I'll get one from the Poke Mart. They're only one Poke Dollar… although I-"

"JODAN!"

"Why did you call me "Jodan"?" Jordan asked Brown, not turning around.

"It wasn't me…" Brown shrugged.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, BROWN BROWS!" the mysterious girl pushed Brown aside and stepped up the driveway.

"Ah Ruri," Jordan began. "How I missed my darling little si-"

"SHUT UP!" Ruri yelled, punching his nose. "I'M TALKING!"

"Okay, what's the problem?" Jordan knew better than to argue with Ruri.

Ruri seemed calmer all of a sudden. "I need to get to Pallet Town but… dad doesn't like us going across routes with wild Pokémon without supervision."

Jordan scratched the back of his neck, wiping his bleeding nose with the other hand, "Why do you wanna go there?"

"To get a Pokémon!"

"I wanna be… the very best… like no one ever was…"

"Where's that coming from?" Brown asked, looking around.

"It's my Pokégear," Jordan replied, pressing the call accept button.

"Hey Jordan, it's me Karp."

"Oh Karp hey, what's up?"

"You still up for that battle I promised you?"

Jordan took a glance at his sister, who was tapping a foot impatiently. "Uh, I sorta need to help my sister out first…"

"Oh well that's cool," Karp replied. "I'll be waiting on Skobeloff Slope… unless I can help you in anyway?"

"I'm waiting," Ruri said impatiently.

"Actually there is something," Jordan decided. "Would you mind taking my sister to Pallet Town, if it's not too much trouble? I'm not really ready to battle with a Pokémon Master just yet…"

Laughter was heard from the other end, "Sure, sure, I understand. And I'll be happy to help your sister, where are you?"

"Uh, Shamrock Green Road…"

* * * 16:49 - 7 June 2004 * * *

When Karp had arrived, Ruri had tossed Jordan her copy of the house key and had gone off with Karp. He murmured thanks behind her back and the boys spent the day looking for Jordan's toothbrush. Eventually, they had given up, and gone to buy one from a shop, where they would be going for Trainer supplies anyway. At Jordan's insistence, they had avoided all of the local shops, and had chosen an automated shop instead.

"Are you sure you want to buy 10 Poke Balls for 2,000 Poke Dollars?"

"Ugh, I hate these dumb automated shops…"

"Yeah, me too," Brown replied half-heartedly, studying his screen. "You still haven't explained why we couldn't just go to the Poke Mart…"

Jordan avoided Brown's eyes as he clicked "YES" on the screen, "Uh, change of pace, I guess… Quicker, even…"

"I don't really see how this is qui- oh damn…" Brown grew irritated at the touch screen.

"'Sup?"

"Uh, it looks like I just purchased a "The Complete Set of Kanto Gym Clothes"," Brown read. ""Now featuring Janine and Blue.""

"Wow…" Jordan laughed. "Could be worse…"

"How so?" Brown asked.

"Could be Johto…"

They shared a laugh over this, before Jordan exclaimed, "Done. I got everything I need. What about you?"

"Yep, it's just sending the Antidotes…" Brown collected them hurriedly as they came out of the machine.

"Yeah, Antidotes are important where we're headed-"

"Viridian Forest."

"Yeah," Jordan posed dramatically. "VIRIDIAN FOREST!"

* * * 17:23 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Will you please tell me what is wrong?" a concerned bartender asked.

The woman slammed her empty beer mug onto the bar, "Another."

The response was as speedy as the order, but the woman downed it just as quickly, and requested for one more.

The bartender filled the glass again with more alcohol, but his hands shook as he handed the filled glass to the customer. The reason? He was fearful… for her.

She downed the glass in one gulp of unmistakeable misery, and returned it to the bar for the fifty first time. "Another."

The bartender frowned. "Walidah, don't you think that is enough?"

"Another." Walidah insisted.

The bartender complied, he wasn't one to argue.

Walidah bit back a sob as the alcohol filled the glass once more. "You're right. That's enough."

The bartender nodded, watching her rise as though she had drunk only water. Fifty one pints of Beer-Drill was enough to put anyone out of commission, yet…

She walked to the table in the corner of the bar, and he sidled over to her.

"Walidah, what's wrong?" Barras asked, and then, after a pause, pressed harder. "Is it _her_?"

Walidah nodded her head once, and wailed.

"Well?" he asked, trying to determine the cause of her misery.

"Akins… is having an affair…" she finally choked out, and Barras's eyebrows jumped up in surprise.

"With the leader?"

Walidah shook her head. "That actress," she spat distastefully, "Southern Share."

Barras's eyebrows remained upright, but lowered slightly, "With Southern? But why?"

"Because _she_ did it!" Walidah wailed in distress. "Some… chemical to activate the pheromones…"

Barras waved off her explanation, not academic enough to understand what would likely turn into an in depth tutorial on how the bodily functions attracted mates. "Does Heaton know?"

Walidah shook her head, "Doubtful…"

The bartender paused, trying to think of something to say to console her, but was saved by the buzzing of a Pokégear.

Walidah reached into her pocket, checked the caller ID, and her face instantly blanched. She rose, and dashed towards the bathroom, indicating with her hand to Barras that it was a very private call.

Barras nodded, knowing it was the leader. He waited in silence for a few minutes, before a large explosion rocked the room.

"Walidah!" he yelled, noticing the smoke coming from the bathroom.

* * * 17:30 - 7 June 2004 * * *

"Here we are! Just down this street is the entrance to Viridian Forest!" Jordan smiled.

"Yep, let's go," Brown nodded.

They passed through the dark street, before…

"BOOM!" the two boys span around, seeing a fire in the nearby pub.

They ran inside, noticing a man carrying a woman out of the blazing bathroom.

"You two," he said, "Quick, give me a hand!"

The boys grabbed hold of the woman's body, and the bartender stepped back to grab a fire extinguisher.

"Missus Avidan-Weshcubb…" Brown muttered, recognising the woman.

"You know her?"

"Yeah! Back in Pallet Town, I had two great friends, Cookie and Zentaro. But they left to become Pokémon Trainers, and this is their mum!"

"Why's she here?" Jordan asked.

"She lives here now. She and Mister Avidan-Weshcubb got a job at this high ranking place here. I don't know the specifics but…"

The bartender turned back, having extinguished the fire, "Thanks, boys, I'm sure glad you two showed up when you did."

Jordan nodded back, "Alexus, is there anywhere where Missus… whatever her name is can rest?"

Barras squinted at Jordan, "Ah, Share!" he smiled before remembering what Walidah had said about Jordan's parents.

Brown blinked, "Um?"

"Back when my mum was laid off one of her shows," Jordan muttered to Brown, "She became a heavy drinker, and came here a lot… so me and Alexus kind of know each other."

"Alexus?" Brown asked.

"It's my surname," Barras explained, leading the two outside and across the moonlit street.

"Ah…" Brown nodded, before grunting. "What about Missus Avidan-Weshcubb?"

Jordan grimaced, "That's a mouthful… can't we just call her by her first name?"

"I don't know her first name," Brown shrugged, or tried to with the weight in his arms.

"It's Walidah," Barras said from in front, then unlocked a door and led the boys over to the large sofa in the centre of the room he had just opened. "Put her down here."

The boys complied, and Jordan looked around, "Is this place yours?"

Barras shook his head, "It's hers. She only came to my pub because it's so close by… and she knows me."

"Will she be alright?" Brown asked.

Barras nodded, "She'll be fine… didn't inhale enough smoke for it to be serious…" he smiled grimly, "Except she'll have a horrible hangover when she wakes up."

Jordan laughed, "So, where's that Mister… something or another?"

"Mister Avidan-Weshcubb," Brown chimed in.

"Akins is on a night shift in Cerulean City today," Barras explained, "He probably won't be back until midday tomorrow."

Barras looked out the window, and grimaced, "Anyway, it's late. You two best stay here for now then get back to wherever you were going tomorrow morning. Walidah's kids' rooms will be free. I strongly recommend you stay in those rooms for now… these streets can get really rough when it's dark."

"Is Cookie still obsessed with food?" Brown asked.

Barras laughed and nodded, "I wouldn't say obsessed… but yes, I know what you mean. The last time I visited her room had its own fridge, so it should still be there and fully stocked for you."

He gave them directions to the twins' rooms, and Brown set off to find Zentaro's after thanking the man.

…

**Author's Note: **Okay. So there we have some new characters introduced. This is an important chapter, partly for that reason. Anyways, both Walidah and Ruri have been mentioned before.

I'm really entertained by the pun of "Beer-Drill", to be honest, because of alcohol being referred to as a poison in lines like "what's your poison?" and Beedrill being a part Poison-type. And then alcohol giving you a "buzz"… Bees? Buzzing? Bugs? Bug Buzz? Get it?

Anyway, rant about Beer-Drill over. The reason Jordan wanted to avoid the Poke Mart and went to that automated shop I made up will be explained later. Much later. So much later that you will probably have forgotten all about it and I'll have to remind you. But you might be able to figure it out already. I hope you can, to be honest.

Anyway, please review! I think every FanFiction author… no, every AUTHOR will tell you that they really appreciate critiques or praise for their work!


	8. Part 8: Result (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 9: Result**

…

* * * 09:20 - Sunday 8th June 2004 * * *

"Team Shi and Team Palm… they are both major organisations currently active in Kanto. Whilst Team Palm is really all about money, Team Shi generally has more sinister motives."

"Such as?" Jordan asked.

"Do you remember the Cinnabar Volcano eruption two years ago?" the bartender, conveniently named Barras, asked.

"Come on! We were only eight!" Jordan groaned.

"Yeah…" Brown muttered.

"You do?" Jordan asked, surprised.

"Mum makes me watch the news… the day that happened… was the first time I realised that the world was an unhappy place… the first time I realised I wanted to do something about it… and… moreover… the first time I asked my mum about dad…"

"… Ouch… who says "moreover" these days?"

"Well, some say that Team Shi started that eruption, and that they've been keeping the volcano alive ever since, for energy." Barras continued, oblivious to Brown and Jordan's conversation.

"But volcanoes provide plenty of energy… why would they still need to collect it after two years?" Brown asked.

"Yeah, what? Are they making a doomsday device or something?" Jordan laughed.

"…" Barras's face set to stone, and Jordan stared at him blankly. "I was… right?"

"Twelve grams of Bellum were stolen from the Kanto Power Plant the other day. Twelve grams of Bellum heated to magma temperatures would be enough to destroy an entire solar system."

"Oh Arceus…" Brown muttered. "These guys are the real deal…"

"Yeah, hardcore stealing deadly materials…"

"This is why," Barras nodded, "I have devoted my entire life to catching and defeating these villainous teams."

Jordan clenched his fist, "Us too! We can't let them get away with something like this!"

Barras smiled, and the two boys shook hands as they agreed.

* * * 10:45 - 8 June 2004 * * *

"So, how about it?"

Brown nodded happily, "Sure! Let's do it!"

Jordan raised an eyebrow, "Eh… fine, okay…"

"Okay, go Farfetch'd!"

The bird with the stick cawed as it soared from Sal's head. "Farfetch'd!"

"I'm counting on you, Drowzee!" Strom yelled.

As the Drowsing Pokémon appeared, Jordan turned to Brown. "You still want to battle?"

Brown looked back at Jordan, "Yeah, why?"

"Think about it! Bulbasaur is a Grass and Poison type Pokémon… the Poison type has a weakness to Psychic types, like Drowzee, and the Grass type has a weakness to Flying types, like Farfetch'd! Bulbasaur is doomed!"

"Maybe…" Brown nodded. "But I have faith in my Pokémon!"

"Hey, what are you waiting for?" Strom asked. "Send out your Pokémon!"

Jordan nodded, "Spurt! You're up!"

"Squirtle!"

"Germinator, I choose you!" Brown yelled.

"Bulbasaur!" the Pokémon grinned, taking the stage.

* * * 11:02 - 8 June 2004 * * *

"Good luck and take care!"

"… Thanks…" Brown said, dejectedly, as the Nurse handed him his only Pokémon back.

"Saur…" the Bulbasaur mumbled sadly, as Brown bowed his head.

" Germinator, I'm sorry…" Brown sighed. "I've failed you as a Trainer."

The boy and the Seed Pokémon sat on a bench outside Viridian City Pokémon Centre.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure was approaching.

"Oh! Brown!" Karp said. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Hey Karp…"

"Bulba…"

Karp sat next to Brown, "What's wrong?"

Brown sighed, "We lost."

"Who against?" Karp asked, putting a consoling hand on Brown's shoulder.

"Sal and Strom…" Brown muttered.

"Double battle? What happened to Jordan?" Karp asked.

"As far as I know? He's still battling…"

"And you left him, huh?"

"He told me to heal Bulbasaur… I didn't have any Revives…"

"It can't be helped I suppose…" Karp nodded. "So let's go find him. Come on, into the forest."

* * * 11:29 - 8 June 2004 * * *

"So, was it somewhere near here?"

Brown nodded; "The clearing's just ahead."

They pushed a bush aside, finding two children sat talking and laughing while another stood to the side, leaning against a tree trunk with her arms folded.

"Brown! Welcome back!" Jordan smiled warmly, seeing the duo enter the clearing. "Oh! Hey Karp!" he added as he saw the adult.

"Hello Jordan," Karp nodded, "And I'm guessing you are Sal and Strom?"

Strom nodded, and Sal glanced in their direction to acknowledge their presence, then turned back towards the ground.

"Wow! You're that Pokémon Master!" Strom exclaimed, and Karp nodded, shoving Brown towards Jordan as he went to talk to Strom.

"We're sorry for losing," Brown sighed, fingering Germinator's Poke Ball.

"It's fine!" Jordan laughed. "Rookies make mistakes. It was my first battle so I had beginner's luck on my side."

Brown smiled and nodded, and Jordan checked his wrist, "Hm… it's twenty five to twelve…we still have plenty of time to get the Boulder Badge and be at the Pokémon Centre by seven…"

"By seven?" Brown asked. "Is something happening?"

"Eh? Oh, it's nothing," Jordan laughed. "There's just this program on tonight I want to watch…"

Brown nodded again, and Karp, Strom and Sal approached.

"Are you guys headed out of Viridian Forest then?" Strom asked.

"Yep," Jordan grinned, "We're headed to Pewter now… I think I'm ready to get that Boulder Badge!"

"You only have one Pokémon though." Karp pointed out. "It's going to be very challenging for you unless you catch another."

"Hey, hey!" Jordan laughed, "I've got to prove myself to be able to cope with challenges or else I'll never be a Pokémon Master."

"Besides, we only really need one for now," Brown said.

Strom scratched the back of his head, "Well, anyway, if you're just going to Pewter City, me and Sal could go with you… we need to stock up on items anyway."

"Sure! The more the merrier, right Brown?"

"Yeah."

…

**Author's Note:** Okay, chapter 9. In which we learn a story behind Team Shi, Brown suffers his first loss and yet more characters are introduced.

Alright, first order of business… I would have made Barras tell them more but… as we're not seeing things from Barras's perspective, I'd like to say this for him: "They're just kids, the rest can wait." or something like that anyway. Yes there's a lot more that Barras knows that he's not telling them, but they will learn it over time.

Second is… Uh… the battle! Okay, I was very lazy by not focusing on the battle but you can imagine how it went I hope. Drowzee and Farfetch'd focusing their attacks on Bulbasaur who was quickly knocked out. In the meantime, Squirtle manages to just defeat its two distracted opponents. Yeah, see how lazy I am?

The introductions were also laziness on my part. I skipped a good part of the morning where Brown and Jordan woke up… but all they were doing is morning stuff and there'll be plenty of time for me to write more morning stuff over the rest of the very long story. Uh, yet more back story behind Brown I guess but meh. The Cinnabar volcano eruption that was mentioned IS the same as the one that destroyed the Cinnabar Gym during the events of Generations I/III and Generations II/IV by the way. But the whole chronology of things in Dunne Days is really quite messed up so… yeah. Strom and Sal will reappear later. If I remember correctly the next time they appear is in… Hoenn. I don't think I've slated them to appear for Johto but that could change. And who knows? I might change my mind and get them to appear again in Kanto?

That was a pretty long chapter. Or it is with this font on Word anyway but meh. What else is there to talk about?

Oh right! Next chapter is about double the length of this one so yeah. Anyway, it'll be a lot more action-packed, believe me. And isn't it about time Brown got a Gym Badge? I mean, this is what? Chapter 9? Gosh.

Oh wow this was a long Author's Note… Please review, favourite, whatever floats your boat but please give me some indication that my efforts aren't all for naught.


	9. Part 9: Boulder (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 10: Boulder**

…

* * * 12:07 - 8 June 2004 * * *

Brown and Jordan waved goodbye to Strom, Sal and Karp at the Pewter City Poke Mart and headed to the large grey building deeper in the city.

"Pewter City Gym…" Jordan murmured, gazing up at the sign above the doors.

Brown pushed the double stone doors open and Jordan gasped at the interior.

The interior was designed very simply, but the few objects the room had showed the symbol of the Boulder Badge on it, even the paintings of the previous Gym Leaders lining one of the walls. Across from those paintings was a reception desk with a woman sitting behind it clicking away on her computer.

She finally looked up and noticed the two boys gaze about the room.

"Oh," she said, "Are you two here to challenge the Gym?"

"Yeah," the two boys walked over to the woman and she pulled her keyboard closer.

"So, what are your names and what time do you want your battles?" she asked.

"I'm Jordan and he's Brown. We want the battles as soon as possible please…"

The woman typed the data into the computer, "So who wants to go first?"

Jordan looked at Brown, who shrugged, and said, "Brown can."

"Okay… and done…" the woman said finally, "Your battles will be right after the next one… ah here he comes now!"

A black haired boy walked into the reception, striding straight through without even looking at the two boys or the receptionist.

"Welcome back, Blake," the receptionist greeted. "Brock is ready and waiting for your challenge."

"Thank you Oki," Blake nodded, and began pushing on the doors to the battleground, before Brown spoke up.

"Hey Blake! Remember me?"

Blake turned around, his hand still on the door, and saw Brown standing there next to a blond boy.

"I guess that you're here for your first Gym Badge?" he said, "I'm here for my second. I managed to catch the Gym Leader of Viridian City before he left."

"Wow! You beat Blue?" Jordan asked. "Impressive! But how do you two know each other?"

"He was my first battle. I was his as well. I beat him." Brown said, simply, eyeing the Earth Badge attached to Blake's shirt.

"You cannot be beaten in a warm up exercise." Blake replied, before walking in to the battleground.

"Hey! Wait! Can we watch your Gym Battle?" Jordan asked, and receiving no reply he turned to the receptionist. "Can we?"

"I'm afraid that's up to the challenger to decide," she replied.

A muffled "No!" came from within the stadium, its tone evident in that it was addressing their question. It was soon followed by "You can't come and watch," perhaps as insurance so that the people outside would understand.

Jordan sighed and sat down on one of the chairs in the reception, whilst Brown stood looking at a picture on the receptionist's desk.

The picture was held in a frame decorated by miniature Boulder Badge drawings set against a grey background. However, the picture itself interested Brown.

"Is this your family?" he asked, and the receptionist nodded.

"That's my husband, Kenji," she replied, pointing out the people. "Our son, Yuuki, and me… Oki…"

"Do you work for Team Shi?" Brown asked, and Oki leapt up at the question.

She stood there motionless, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide with fear.

The two boys stared at her.

"Um…" Jordan began. "Oki?"

Brown waved a hand in front of her face, and when she did not respond, he prodded her slightly.

"Did you do this?" Brown turned to find Jordan standing next to him, looking at him with eyes almost as big as Oki's.

"She just froze…" Brown replied. "Is she playing a trick on us or something?"

"Perhaps…" Jordan frowned, pulling his Pokégear out of his pocket. "But maybe I should call for an ambulance…"

Brown nodded, "Do you know cardiopulmonary resuscitation? Maybe that'd help."

"… Cardy what's it?" Jordan tried, "What the heck is that?"

"Oh, sorry… I mean CPR…"

"Why not just say it?" Jordan laughed, then remembered the situation. "Whatever. Only a bit… my dad always said I've got to be ready and know what to do in case he has a heart attack or whatever. But I never paid attention so…"

He put his Pokégear to his ear and began to order an ambulance, whilst Brown looked back at Oki and saw, to his astonishment, smoke coming from her ears.

"Jordan… she's smoking…" Brown said.

Jordan frowned at him, but finished the conversation before saying, "What the heck? What kind of pervert are you?"

"Pervert?" Brown repeated. "Just look at her! She's releasing smoke!"

Jordan did look, and soon had the same baffled expression as Brown.

A small snapping sound came from somewhere close, and Oki's mouth moved, her eyes closed and she collapsed onto the ground, with the boys only just catching her in time. They rolled her onto her back.

"Oki!" Jordan called out to her. "Oki! Speak to me!"

Brown placed his index and middle finger onto Oki's wrist for a few seconds, before declaring, "She's alive…"

Jordan rolled his eyes at the other boy, "Oh really? I had no idea, especially since her chest keeps moving up and down and… oh look! There's air going in and out of her nose!"

"… Sorry…" Brown muttered.

The receptionist began to stir, and her eyes flew open.

"Ah!" she said, "I…"

"Oki, are you okay?" Brown asked, and Jordan let out a small laugh. "What?" he asked the boy.

Jordan shook his head, "No, no… nothing… just… never mind…"

Oki sat up suddenly and looked at the boys, "You two… how long was I…?"

"Um… just a few minutes…" Jordan replied.

She sighed with relief, "Ah good…" then she almost laughed, "So it was easier than I had thought…"

"What was?" Brown asked. "What's going on here?"

"Brown… Dunne?" she asked, and Brown nodded, "I thought so… and Jordan… Share?" Jordan also nodded, and she sighed, "You two are in danger. Team Shi wants you dead. Desperately."

"W… wha!" Jordan stuttered. "Dead? How do you know?"

"Listen. We only have a short while until they come to find out why my chip has malfunctioned." Oki spoke quickly, barely leaving any pauses to take in breaths. It concerned the boys though - it was much too quick for someone who had just fainted. "To be honest, it's not just you. It's all Pokémon Trainers that they're after."

She stood up, and almost toppled over again before catching herself on the desk. "Team Shi's files. You should be able to find them on my computer. However, the password changes every month. For fifteen minutes on the first of each month, starting at precisely fifteen hundred hours, the security is totally removed so the files can be backed up and reinforced. It's hardly the most effective method but only certain systems can access the network. Getting a hold of one of them is a job in itself."

"O-Oki," Brown said. "We have no idea what you're talking about!"

She stopped and looked at him, "S… sorry… you're only ten…" she managed to open one of the drawers in her desk and pull out a black laptop with the number four emblazoned on the lid in varying shades of grey. She handed it to Brown saying, "This. Take this to Barras Alexus in Viridian City. It doesn't matter when as long as it's before the first of July. Whatever you do, do not let this laptop leave your possession."

"Um… okay?" Brown raised an eyebrow as she staggered over to the doors. "Where are you going?"

"I… I've got to check on my family…" she replied. "Good luck in your journey!"

Brown watched her leave, then turned to Jordan, who was counting on his fingers, "What was that all about?"

"Twenty two… twenty three…" he finished, closing his hands and looking up. "Huh? Oh… no idea. But it seems that the basic gist of it is that we need to give that laptop to Barras in 23 days…"

"23 days?" Brown asked.

"Yeah… relax though! We should be able to continue with our journey! We'll be back in Viridian City before then!"

"Huh? We can get around the Kanto region in that short of a time?"

"Sure! No problem! It takes some really dedicated Trainers a maximum of eight days to get around Kanto! And even if you're not that dedicated… or you just do a lot of sightseeing… it should only take around twenty days! So we'll be totally fine!"

"If you say so…" Brown muttered, putting the laptop into his bag.

Just then, the doors opened and Blake Sullivan walked out, fastening a Boulder Badge next to the Earth Badge on his shirt. Eventually, he looked up, and saw Brown and Jordan staring at him.

"This Gym is weak." He told them. "I suppose even you two may be able to defeat its Leader."

Blake looked at Brown, or more specifically, at his bag. The laptop only fit haphazardly in and the symbol on the lid was clear for anyone to see. Blake widened his eyes as he saw the symbol, then shook his head and walked swiftly away.

"Whew…" Jordan whistled. "That guy is tough… Are you sure you managed to beat him?"

"It was all thanks to Germinator…" Brown shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess-"

"Are you two here to challenge my Gym?" a voice interrupted, and Brown and Jordan turned to face the newcomer.

The teenager had come from the battlefield. He had tanned skin and his eyes were closed. His hair brown and spiky and a Boulder Badge was attached to his collar. Around his neck he wore a pendant in the shape of two hearts. In one was an image of the nurse who worked at the Pokémon Centres all across Kanto and in the other an image of a police woman that Jordan knew as Officer Jenny, because of her brief appearance in a TV drama his sister watched.

"Aren't you Brock?" Jordan asked, and the teenager nodded.

"Yep, I'm the Leader of this Gym!"

"Wow!" Jordan grinned. "I'm meeting such a famous person!"

Brock laughed then eyed the two boys up and down. "So, are you two here to challenge me then?"

"Yeah," Jordan nodded. "Brown wants to go first. Are we okay now?"

"Of course," Brock smiled, leading the two boys into the battleground. "I'm good for another couple of battles yet."

Brock walked across to the other side of the battleground, and Brown stepped into the white square on the floor designated for challengers.

"Good luck," Jordan grinned, before taking a seat at the side of the arena.

"Any particular rules you want?" Brock called over.

"Um, a one-on-one, please?" Brown asked, and Brock nodded.

"Okay, I'll be using my Pokédex to select my Pokémon at random," the Leader called again, pushing a button on his Pokédex and picking the appropriate Poke Ball from his belt after reading the result. "It looks like it's your lucky day, Brown!"

"Go, Geodude!" Brock hurled the Poke Ball in front of him, and in a flash of light a Pokémon appeared.

"Dude!" the Rock Pokémon stated enthusiastically.

"Germinator, I choose you!" Brown yelled back, throwing his own Poke Ball and releasing his Bulbasaur.

"Saur!"

The Seed Pokémon and the Rock Pokémon stared at each other for several moments before Brock gave the first command, "Geodude, use Tackle!"

Geodude charged forwards, its fists splitting the air as it came.

"Germinator, dodge!" Brown responded, and his Bulbasaur leapt to the side as Geodude's hands swiped the air where he had just been.

"Nice dodge," Brock called.

"Thanks," Brown smiled, "Now Germinator, use Tackle!"

Bulbasaur span around ninety degrees and ran back over to his opponent.

"Defence Curl!" Brock commanded.

The Geodude wrapped its arms around its ragged body and braced itself as the collision occurred. It uncurled its body, and Brown was surprised to see that no visible damage had been taken at all.

"Tackle!" Brock yelled, and his Geodude soared forwards once more, this time striking Germinator and causing him to cry out in pain.

"Bulbasaur," Brown cried, as his Pokémon reeled back from the hit. "Use Leech Seed!"

"Dodge!" Brock yelled, but he was too late, and a cluster of seeds sprouted on his Geodude's head, sapping its health.

Germinator gave Geodude a smug look as their Trainers contemplated their next move.

"Use Tackle!" they eventually said simultaneously and the two Pokemon charged at each other.

Within seconds, the verdict was announced: Brown had won!

The Trainers returned their Pokemon to their Poke Balls and complimented their hard work, before turning to the other.

"Well done, Brown," Brock smiled, holding out a small octagonal grey token to the victor. "Take this Boulder Badge." He paused as Brown clipped the Boulder Badge into the slot in his Trainer Card. "Oh, and this," Brock took a disk from his pocket and handed it to Brown. "Technical Machine 048: Rock Slide," He explained, "Is a pretty powerful move that can also make your opponent flinch."

"Wow, thanks," Brown grinned, accepting the TM and placing it in the labelled compartment in his bag.

"Well, Jordan," Brock said, turning to the blond who had stood up and was shaking Brown's hand. "I guess it's your turn."

"I guess it is!" Jordan grinned.

Brock released his Geodude from his Poke Ball once again, and the injured Pokemon stumbled onto the battlefield. He took a small square tablet from his pocket and fed it to the Geodude, who immediately returned to full health.

"So, I'm presuming you want a one-on-one as well?" Brock smiled once he had finished, looking over at Jordan and his Squirtle.

"That's right!" Jordan grinned. "Me and Spurt are ready anytime!"

…

**Author's Note: Double digits!**

**Yeah, this is actually a pretty long chapter, isn't it? All that fuss with Oki there at the beginning. To be honest the laptop doesn't even play a relevant role until a bit later. Use the dialogue between Jordan and Brown to discern when that might be, or just wait and see. Oh look a rhyme.**

**Then there's the Gym battle. Again my laziness shows in leaps and bounds. I didn't show Blake's battle (nor am I going to) and I'm going to show Jordan's battle… kinda… But there's Brown's battle for you at least, even if it did only last 3 turns.**

**But at least the story is moving along.**

**I think I'm gonna start a little Badge count here:**

**Brown Badges: 1/8**

**Blake Badges: 2/8**

**Next chapter will be shorter, I believe. Heck I haven't even finished it yet. I've just been kind of fluking it until chapter 10, which is this one.**

**I'm never going to finish this story am I?**

**Please review!**


	10. Part 10: Practice (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 11: Practice**

…

* * * 13:55 - 8 June 2004 * * *

"Oh, these are such joyous days indeed! For fate has brought me to meet you once again my beloved Nurse Joy!"

"Oh hello Brock," Nurse Joy smiled back at him. "What can I do for you?"

"Just being in your presence is enough medicine for me!"

"Ah, wait, hold that thought," Nurse Joy said as she reached behind her.

ZAP! In one quick and fluid movement Nurse Joy's hand shot out and shocked Brock with an electroshock device.

"Of course… you could just help these two Trainers here…" Brock managed, before he passed out.

The Nurse clapped her hands, and two men rushed in from another room. They loaded Brock onto a stretcher and carted him away.

Nurse Joy nodded, her electroshock device returned to a case labelled 'In case of Brock', and turned to the two boys, "So, how can I help you two?"

"Full recovery please," Brown said, taking the Poke Ball from his unresponsive friend's hand and adding it to his own, before handing them to the Nurse.

"Not a problem! They'll be up and raring to go again in one hour minimum."

The Nurse placed the Pokémon in the healing machine as Brown looked around the Pokémon Centre.

"Why do all of the Nurses look the same?" he eventually said aloud to Jordan.

Jordan did not reply, but continued to stare at the floor.

"It's because they're supposed to provide a friendly face that every Trainer will recognise," another voice answered.

Karp Roden walked up to the boys. "Hey Brown! Hey Jordan! What a surprise meeting you here!"

Brown shook Karp's hand, "Hello Karp."

"So… how'd the Gym go?"

"Well…" Brown frowned. "Jordan… kinda…"

"Ah…" Karp nodded understandingly, finally noticing Jordan's depression. He clapped Jordan's shoulder. "It happens. Even I lose battles sometimes."

Jordan nodded, giving a feeble smile.

"Tell ya what," Karp grinned. "There's this new Training Centre opened up on the North side of Pewter City. Interested? It's supposed to be really good!"

The blond haired boy looked into Karp's grey eyes and nodded slowly. "Sure."

* * * 14:21 - 8 June 2004 * * *

It was a short trek to the Pewter City Trainers Club, but getting inside took a substantially longer amount of time. By the time Karp had booked a room, Brown had been jostled around several times by various Pokémon Trainers, some big, some small. It was quite nerve-racking, and Jordan even seemed to forget about his loss as he looked around in wonder.

Because of the crowd, not much of the room could be seen, but they could tell it was a big place. The colour scheme was grey, like the rest of the city, and looked quite like the Pewter Gym if it weren't for the long corridor in place of the door that led to the battleground in the Gym. One major cosmetic difference, the boys noted, was that instead of the Boulder Badge decorating the various rooms, a simple Poke Ball symbol was present instead - the symbol of the League.

Of course, the portraits of the Gym Leaders were also absent, but that was to be expected.

Room 14 finally became available, and Karp led the way along the corridor and up a flight of stairs, stopping at the fourth door along. The group entered, and found themselves in a small arena, the walls and floor heavily shielded so the Pokémon could go wild. A sign on the wall listed some banned moves, among them Explosion and Dig, though the list seemed quite short in comparison to the total of moves overall. The ceiling was also quite high up, presumably to allow for Flying-types as well. It did explain why the staircase had felt so large, however - presumably the rooms below were also like this one.

"Nice place, huh?" Karp grinned.

"Yeah," Brown agreed, and Jordan simply nodded, too astounded to reply.

Karp stepped onto the battlefield and reached down to his belt, pulling off a Poke Ball and tossing it onto the field. "Magikarp, I choose you!"

"Magikarp!" the Fish Pokémon crooned.

"Wow," Jordan gasped. "So that's one of your Magikarp?"

"That's right," Karp said. "How'd you like to battle him?"

Jordan's eyes seemed to burst free from his face in amazement, "I'd love it!"

Brown sat against the wall and watched as Jordan released his Squirtle.

"Spurt!" Squirtle sang as it appeared.

Brown smiled to himself. Jordan seemed to have forgotten all about his loss after all.

The battle was long and action packed. With every move Squirtle made, Magikarp simply Splashed to another spot of floor. Even when Jordan tried to swamp the battleground using dangerous Bubbles, Magikarp was seemingly unaffected. In the end, Squirtle fell, exhausted and out of moves.

Far from being upset again, Jordan seemed revitalised.

"That was a nice move with your Bubble," Karp smiled. "It probably would've worked better against a different type, like a Rock-type. It's one strategy you could use against Brock if you didn't already."

Jordan shook his head. "No, I didn't. But I will now!"

"Well anyway," Karp said. "I hope this experience taught you that there'll always be Trainers beyond your reach. This goes for you too, Brown. At the end of the day, whether you can or can't beat Brock doesn't mean you're any less of a Trainer. One person's strength is another person's weakness. It's just like the relationship between the types, in a way. Everyone has something they're good at."

Karp waited a while for his words to sink in, then checked his Pokétch, "Wow, it's already five! I'd better get going. See you, it's been fun!"

The Pokémon Master dashed away, Jordan and Brown calling their farewells after him.

"So, what now?" Brown asked. "You wanna go to the Gym or kill time elsewhere?"

Jordan raised an eyebrow at Brown. "Now what kind of Trainer would I be if I wasted time when I could be getting a Gym Badge?"

…

**Author's Note: Yeah, um… So that's a pretty short chapter about Jordan's training with Karp to beat Brock. Karp is clearly very powerful. He's already been called a Pokemon Master by some characters.**

**I think the reason I made that training centre rather than just having a battle out in a field somewhere was that I couldn't be bothered to write about the inevitable audience that would be drawn to the battle of a "Pokemon Master".**

**Again, short battle, but to write it all out would seriously bore you. It'd just be "Bubble". Dodge. "Tackle". Dodge. Et cetera.**

**Brock's anime personality came out there at the beginning. Come on, I had to! And yeah, Nurse Joy has a taser/electroshock device cos you've gotta be prepared for the Brockster!**

**On a more personal note, I've recently gotten into Homestuck. Actually it's not that recent since I started reading it in the beginning of April but yeah. I'm planning to write some FanFictions for Homestuck as well… especially since I've read this really good one.**

**Next chapter: Jordan's sister takes centre stage!**


	11. Part 11: Sleep (unrevamped)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon does not belong to me. Last I checked, Pokemon belonged to Satoshi Tajiri. The only things I claim ownership to are the own characters in this story.

…

**DUNNE DAYS**

**Part 12: Sleep**

…

Sleep is an important thing.

Too little sleep will leave a Trainer feeling exhausted, and it can cause headaches, hallucinations and even depression.

Too much sleep, on the other hand, too much sleep can cause diabetes, heart disease and again, depression.

So, sleep, the ever important sleep, is a powerful tool.

Volcanoes are known for sleeping for long periods of time… normally…

So, a volcano, after sleeping for too long, may gain a problem… and that was the case with this one.

Cinnabar Volcano had been dormant for two thousand years before it woke up. Heart diseases caused lava surges that reached all the way to the Hoenn region, and diabetic vomiting caused it to regurgitate this lava, engulfing the entire Kanto region in molten rock and destroying Cinnabar Island.

The depression of causing this destruction made the volcano sulk, and it occasionally let out little lava blasts at anyone who dared to go near it.

…

Cinnabar Island had once been a bustling town, filled with happy inhabitants and many a holidaymaker. They lived in ignorance really - ignorant of the perils of the world, and of the world itself. Because of the distance from the rest of the Kanto region, Cinnabar Island was often isolated. Its surprisingly warm climate attracted lots of people seeking relaxation, whilst its attractions themselves were enough to persuade many to visit.

The abandoned Pokémon Mansion on the north of the island was a scientific marvel. The documents and research notes within, discovered by Blaine, told of many intriguing projects, such as the creation of Mewtwo.

The fabulous Cinnabar beaches were always jam-packed with tourists, building sandcastles and playing in the ocean.

But, by far, the most important location of Cinnabar Island was the Pokémon Gym.

Blaine had been the Gym Leader, training Fire-type Pokémon extensively thanks to the climate. He also dabbled in science, often studying with scientists inside the Pokémon Mansion. His insatiable curiosity had earned him a rather superior intellect. He told riddles that baffled even the most astute minds and, in fact, many Pokémon Trainers lost to his Gym simply because they could not get past the Gym's puzzle.

However, all this happiness and peace would soon collapse.

It was one day when Blaine was again studying in the Pokémon Mansion that he discovered just how ignorant the people of Cinnabar Island were… and also how doomed they would all be.

One particular file in the grand archive of the Mansion's library had been selected at random by Blaine's idle hand. The file was a study on volcanoes, with many paintings and depictions of the last known volcanic eruption in Kanto, two thousand years ago. Blaine, however, was more interested in the photos and the calculations of the previous occupant of the Pokémon Mansion. The photo depicted a scene of when Cinnabar Gym was first being built, with the Pokémon Mansion's genius occupant's handwriting labelling the area around it as "Possible Hotspot".

Blaine recognised the picture. It had been shown to the public before, and they had taken it as an advertisement for the Fire-type Gym. The notes, on the other hand, were in an unopened velvet envelope, the kind that was usually found around the Pokémon Mansion. Blaine tore it open, intrigued by the link between the Gym photo and the notes on volcanoes being together.

Two sheets of parchment fell out; one displaying a map of the Kanto region in its earliest days, with the Cinnabar Island just breaking off from the mainland. The other, Blaine read:

"Stratovolcano must be on Cinnabar Island.

Possible area: 33° 55' 0" South, 18° 25' 0" West.

Next erupt: 16 Jan 1997"

That was all Blaine needed to know. He immediately broadcast the news to the residents of Cinnabar Island, and with the deadline only a week away, the island was emptied as quickly as possible. The entire town of Cinnabar Island was deserted in three days after Blaine's discovery. And four days later, the volcano erupted, right on schedule.

* * * 14:02 - 8 June 2004 * * *

Blaine enjoyed visiting the location of his old Gym.

The volcano that had destroyed it was still active. It shot out lava spurts every now and then, providing an excellent training ground for his Fire type Pokémon, as the lava could hurt them, but not seriously.

Occasionally, he had company. Blue from Viridian City sometimes came to join him, and Trainers from other regions sometimes visited too, more often for sightseeing than to join his training though.

Thanks to the volcano, he had made friends with Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four (who had borrowed some of Blaine's Pokémon to add lava to his room at the Indigo League), Flannery of Hoenn's Lavaridge Town (who had stopped visiting recently now that Mount Chimney was more active), Flint of the Sinnoh Elite Four (he still visited often, and was far stronger than Blaine) and even Chili of Unova's Striaton City (who gave Blaine the best meals he'd ever had).

Nonetheless, Blaine was alone this time. Save for his Pokémon, of course!

However, he wasn't alone for long.

"Hey! Who are you?" a girl's voice behind him prompted him to turn around.

"A better question," Blaine replied, tapping his cane against the volcano. "Would be, "who are _you_?""

The girl did not reply, so Blaine took the chance to call out his pride and joy, Magmortar.

"Blaine. Blaine is my name," he finally said, and Magmortar aimed one of its turret arms at the girl. "And if you are looking for trouble, I am more than capable of giving you some. An attack against Cinnabar Island is an attack against me."

The girl took out a Poké Ball as well, "I know you. You're a Gym Leader."

Blaine grinned. "That's right… I can see you're a Pokémon Trainer. So, you come for a battle?"

"Yeah! I challenge you!" the girl yelled. "1 on 1! For the Badge!"

"Fine, but first… your name?"

"My name is Ruri Share!"

"You have the first attack." Blaine gestured.

"Pidgey! Let's go!" Ruri yelled, calling out her Pokémon.

Blaine halted; he had been about to send out Arcanine but this Pidgey was clearly too weak to handle his strongest Pokémon. A quick scan of Pokémon at his belt found the Pokémon he was looking for.

"Slugma, you're up!"

…

Ruri's first battle was also her first loss.

Blaine had chosen his weakest Pokemon, but had still won.

The girl lay, panting and wheezing from the damage she herself had taken.

"Well…" Blaine began. "It seems as though I was correct. You are under levelled."

Ruri bowed her head, she knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Training is what you need," he nodded. "I recommend starting from Brock's Pewter Gym, as he is famed for… going easy on beginners…"

Ruri bit her tongue, preventing herself from biting back. After all, she _was_ a beginner, like it or not. And she didn't like it.

"Nonetheless," the Gym Leader nodded. "I was impressed by your courage. Your strategy of throwing yourself into the path of enemy attacks, whilst unorthodox, is one of the best I have seen. However… I'm a little rusty on the rules of Pokemon Battles… you might not get away with that in any more battles…"

Ruri stood up, grabbing the Poke Ball she had returned her Pidgey to, and walked back to the North side of Cinnabar Island.

"Hey, wait a minute! How did you get past all of the Trainers on Route 21?"

"I deafened them…"

"How?"

"By yelling…" Ruri hopped down onto a small silver jet ski with "Share" written on the side in fancy gold writing.

Blaine made a mental note at that point to change banks to the "Share Holders".

As she zoomed away, Ruri thought back on Blaine's words, and nodded to herself. The battle had explained why so many trainers decided to start with that Gym. With the Pewter Gym.

…

**Author's Note: Okay, I'll be honest here. This chapter is filler. I had had plans to develop this chapter and make it into an emotional turmoil for Ruri's Pidgey, but I decided against it. In fact, in this draft of the story (cos I've already mentioned how many times I've rewritten this thing), this chapter was not supposed to exist. But I'm really proud of that thing about sleep in the beginning, so that's the main reason it stayed.**

**The only thing I'm not really proud of in this story is the battle. I always do that, don't I? But yeah, I figure that if a battle is going to be left out, it can't be one of Brown's. He is the main character after all.**

**No, actually, that's not the only thing I'm not proud of. I wanted to make the note that was seen in the Pokemon Mansion to look really professional and done by a top scientist or something. But I feel I've failed with that.**

**Now that I look back on this chapter, it feels like it's less about Ruri and more about Blaine… and then less about Blaine and more about the volcano… but yeah, whatever.**

**Next chapter: Jordan's rematch!**


End file.
